1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a feed supplement and method of administration for increasing the plasma amino acid level of ruminant livestock.
2. Background Art
Amino acids, the basic components of proteins, have long represented the most economical and efficient means for adapting the protein composition of the diets of animals bred for productive purposes to the increasing needs dictated by genetic improvement and the qualitative demands of the market for products of animal origin. Consequently, amino acids, particularly lysine and methionine, are commonly provided to animals in variable amounts according to the amino acid composition of the base feed and of the required nutritional objectives.
Amino acids of industrial origin come from chemical synthesis or fermentation processes, and are available to the animal feed industry either in powder or liquid form, chemically formulated either as natural-like amino acids or as various chemical derivatives, which are then metabolized by the animal in biologically active amino acids.
Typical amino acids include alanine, beta-alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, carnitine, citrulline, cysteine, cystine, gamma-aminobutryic acid, glutamic acid, glutathione, glycine, histidine, hydroxyproline, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, ornithine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, taurine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine.
It is known to supplement the feed of ruminant animals with commercial amino acid compositions, for example SMARTAMINE® and RHODIMET® AT 88, available from Rhone Poulenc Animal Nutrition, Atlanta, Ga., and LysMet available from SILO S.r.1., Firenze, Italy. Such amino acid compositions may be administered either through spraying onto dry feed, or in liquid form through drinking water, milk replacers or liquid feed.
The ruminant species (especially bovines, and to a lesser degree sheep, goats and buffalo) have difficulty benefitting from the addition of amino acids to their diet, which they need from a nutritional point of view, because the rumen, acting as a biological fermentor, transforms the amino acids added to the fodder, using them as components in culture material for the bacterial and protozoan populations which are its natural inhabitants.
Previous commercial amino acid compositions have not been able to adequately increase the plasma amino acid level in ruminant animals. In particular, the amino acid concentration, pH level, chloride content, bulk density, and maximum moisture of known commercial amino acid compositions contribute to the undesirable properties of an increased fermentation capability and a slow absorption through the walls of a rumen.
Thus, there is a need for a feed supplement and method of administration for increasing the plasma amino acid level of ruminant livestock.